Academic
Foundation – Year 6
Playford College aims to provide a broad, rigorous, engaging and challenging learning program for all students.
The curriculum is designed to cater for the whole child, providing opportunities for children’s spiritual, physical, mental, social and emotional growth. The Australian Curriculum in major learning areas shapes the Playford College curriculum.
Sacred time is provided each day for children to learn to, and implement, prayer. Students from Foundation to Year 2 have this devotional time in their classrooms while Years 3 to 6 meet every day in the Prayer Hall for corporate prayer. The Illumination staff team provides teaching about faith, the Quran, the significant people and stories of faith and how to live your life as a creation of Allah.
Playford College has specialist teachers for Physical Education, Quran Reading and Memorisation, Arabic and Islamic Studies lessons. Teachers plan together in teaching teams and sometimes specialise with subjects across classes.
The Playford College curriculum includes
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- History
- Geography
- Arts
- Languages other than English – Arabic
- Health and Physical Education
- Civics and Citizenship
- Design and Technology
- Information and Communications Technology
- Quran Reading and Memorisation
- Islamic Studies
Student Learning
The learning environment is a safe and supportive place to build self, social, emotional and spiritual capacity.
All efforts to promote positive attitudes, achievements and behaviour have as their prime goal, the ethical growth and development of students as individuals, and as members of a community. This practice is based on the principle of respect and of caring for each other, rather than maintaining order through a purely punitive system. We strive to maintain a school environment where children can experience success while feeling safe, happy and secure.
We encourage commitment to a restorative approach when relational challenges arise. A restorative approach provides opportunity for those who have been affected by conflict to be part of the healing process. When students play a part in the repairing and rebuilding of relationships and have a clear understanding of behavioural expectations, prevention of ongoing conflict results.
Learning is attuned to be engaging, developmental, personalised and differentiated to meet individual need.
Differentiated learning at Playford College involves providing students with different pathways to achieve success. Students engage and focus on a task when they are at the centre of their own learning experience. Personalised learning leads to deeper understanding and application for students.
Learning is constantly reviewed and challenged as we design curriculum for the future that is also relevant to our setting and context. We promote flexible learning arrangements focused on growing each child.
Learners are enabled to be resourceful, innovative and persistent and to use initiative.
Looking to the future we recognise our students will be required to be strong problem solvers. In a dynamic world where technology and automation is changing the workplace at rapid rates, children must be ready to face the challenges, ask questions and think for themselves. Well developed, these skills will positively impact all facets of their lives.
Learners are active and informed citizens, connecting strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom.
At Playford College we are a local, national and globally connected school. Being connected through technology in all areas of learning provides students with excellent opportunities to be innovative.
Our Illumination curriculum gives children a spiritual perspective that generates clarity and hope as they attempt to understand the world and their place in it.
Learning capacity to think deeply, critically and creatively is enhanced through active and purposeful inquiry, question posing and problem solving.
Curriculum at Playford College is shaped by the Australian Curriculum, with innovative connections made through an integrated delivery across all subjects. We offer an array of original, creative and engaging units of inquiry. Our core values of respect – for God, for self, for others and for property – underpin all learning and teaching at Playford College and support development of the ‘whole child’.
Learners master the essential skills in literacy and numeracy and are creative and productive users of information communication technologies.
Enabling technology provides students with power and opportunity to gain real knowledge and experience beyond the classroom. While a focus on learning continues to drive and stimulate the curriculum at Playford College, technology enhances and amplifies the learning and gives every student opportunity to succeed.
The learning environment is a safe and supportive place to build self, social, emotional and spiritual capacity.
All efforts to promote positive attitudes, achievements and behaviour have as their prime goal, the ethical growth and development of students as individuals, and as members of a community
Learners reflect and receive regular, timely and targeted feedback in order to understand, monitor and adjust learning goals for rigorous learning and to meet high standards.
Teachers with varying gifts and talents work collaboratively to ensure curriculum is relevant, vibrant and engaging. A focus on individual learning styles, brain based learning and an ever increasing knowledge of how students learn, combine to create a rigorous learning environment.
Quality assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning.
We believe children grow through all areas of their learning. No matter what their ability, with a positive mindset for growth, all students can accomplish improvement. Developing ongoing assessment throughout learning units, giving purposeful feedback, actively engaging students in setting learning goals and reflecting on themselves as learners, creates an atmosphere where student growth is promoted.
The specialist subjects offered include:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology)
- Health and Physical Education
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Art and Design
- HASS (Humanities and Social Science)
- Islamic Studies
- Arabic
- Quran Reading and Memorisation
- Psychology
To enable strong learning at school and between home and school, the College provides a laptop for each student. Most teachers set homework on Google Classroom, which is accessible at home, as well as school.
Specialist teachers remain in their subject room and students move according to the lesson.
A Friday afternoon Elective program has been successfully introduced to build strengths, skills and life long abilities. Popular Electives include soccer, cooking, badminton, basketball, lawn bowls, art, drama, volleyball, STEM, ultimate frisbee and robotics. Students prioritise the Elective they would like to do and Electives change each semester.
Playford College is pleased with the opportunities we are offering our Secondary students.
Year 7 – Year 11
Playford College created a Middle School at the beginning of 2019 to acknowledge that the teaching and learning program for adolescents needs to be rigorous, thoughtful, based on the Australian Curriculum and taught by specialist teachers. With the addition of students in Year 10, 11 and 12, extra subjects continue to be offered to meet the requirements of the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).
Student Leadership
It is the hope of staff that all students develop leadership qualities at school which will assist them to flourish well beyond their school years.
Opportunities at Playford College include:
- Student Representative Council member. Two students are elected from each class and meet to discuss improving student life and facilities at the College. Meetings are co-ordinated by a staff member
- Captains and Vice Captains. Four senior students who are elected by peers and staff assist with varied roles including ceremonial occasions
- House Leaders are elected for Sports Day and other times
- Library and Sports Shed Monitors assist with the Library and Sports Shed
- Different students lead prayer and perform recitations from time to time
- Older students act as buddies to younger children
- Senior students participate in organising activities for younger students during break time
Extra and Co-curricular Learning
Excursions, Incursions & Camps
Students experience an engaging and fun life at Playford College. The range of experiences change from Foundation to Senior Secondary School but the staff are mindful of creating a learning environment and culture which intrigues children’s brains and puts smiles on their faces.
With our focus on relevant and meaningful teaching and learning, students are motivated to ask meaningful questions and then are provided time, challenges and engaging learning episodes to either answer those questions themselves or within class time. Our teachers are creative and make classroom life interesting. They use incursions and excursions to encourage children to wonder and learn from the real world. Our camps are wonderful social and meaningful learning occasions and include:
- a Year 3 one night camp at places like Narnu Farm on Hindmarsh Island with a focus on farm life and horse riding
- a Year 4 two night camp at places like Swan Reach with a focus on the River Murray
- a Year 6 two night adventure camp where students are challenged to grow in confidence and resilience
- a Year 7 three or four night tour of Canberra with a focus on democracy and the Australia’s capital
- a Year 8 camp to Victor Harbor with a focus on marine life, history geography and aquatics
- a Year 9 four day camp to Kangaroo Island focusing on flora, fauna, tourism and history
- a Year 10 three day camp at the Murrylands Aquatics Centre with a focus on water skiing, kneeboarding, sailing, kayaking, driving a boat and other aquatic skills
- These camps may change each year depending on the structure of classes and the topics being taught. Playford College believes camps are an important part of the curriculum and learning of our students.
Sports
The College is involved with extensive extra-curricular sporting opportunities through the South Australian Primary Schools Sports Association (SAPSASA) and the South Australian Secondary Schools Sports Association (SASSSA).
Our involvement with the Sporting Schools grants program has enabled badminton, AFL football, cricket, tennis and volleyball to be introduced to our students.
Clubs
Within the College, after school and lunch-time clubs are popular and activities offered include Choir, Poetry, Math, homework, netball, Art, story time, knitting, soccer, basketball and spelling. These clubs are seasonal and are run according to staff availability and children’s interest.
Electives
Although Electives for Middle School students occur during school time, they are Co-curricular in nature because students choose their Electives. Elective offerings have included cooking, soccer, badminton, basketball, lawn bowls, drama, art, Chinese, ultimate frisbee, robotics and cricket.
Celebrations
There are many celebrations relating to the religious life of the College. As well, staff celebrate Harmony Day, Book Week, Science Week and the Premier’s Reading Challenge as whole school foci. For Mother’s and Father’s Day, the College organises a stall for students to buy gifts for their parents and loved ones.
Annual Report 2020
(PDF, 362KB)